good enough for company, quick enough for tuesday.

Menu

Red wine and champagne are two of the most romantic drinks out there, so it only makes sense for me to feature a Valentine’s Day cocktail that has both champagne and ruby port, which is a red dessert wine. I know it has a scary name, but bear with me. This cocktail has an extremely special (read: romantic) place in my heart, and features two of my favorite, er, “adult beverages.”

I first had this cocktail on my honeymoon, in this amazing little bar called The Bombay Club in New Orleans. (Side note: New Orleans is an excellent place to honeymoon if you like to take long, scenic walks and day drink, because you can do both of those things there AT THE SAME TIME.) We had just left Bourbon Street after a very noisy, slightly overwhelming twenty minutes (Sorry, I’m 70 on the inside.) and were looking to wind down a bit before heading back to our hotel.

We had seen an ad for happy hour at The Bombay Club and decided to stop in. Little did we know, they were closing in 45 minutes and we were the only people inside. It was long enough to order this cocktail and have a very interesting conversation with the bartender while he closed up shop. He was a veritable fount of wisdom, and taught us things such as the dangers of kids menus and that I “had a lot of strange personality traits.”

He also told us the story of poor Admiral Nelson and the origins of the cocktail’s slightly… unnerving name. Apparently, Horatio Nelson was an 18th century British naval officer. He perished in battle during the Napoleonic wars and, so that he could be buried in his home country, was entombed in a barrel of rum. According to the legend, the sailors punctured a hole in the barrel and drank the rum, which was now intermingled with his blood, perhaps thinking they could absorb some of his bravery. When they got back, they brought with them tales of the Admiral’s great feats of battle, and cocktails paying tribute to him arose in pubs all over. Since they couldn’t just go around serving bloody rum, ruby port was added to give that oh-so-appetizing blood red tint. Tasty, right? And finally, they replaced the rum with champagne and ended up with this spectacular creation.

Now that I think about it, maybe that bartender was right. It is a little strange that I am obsessed with this cocktail for Valentine’s Day, but you should try it anyway. It only has three ingredients, requires no special mixing, shaking, or stirring, and is downright delicious. Not to mention that beautiful deep red color. The port, which is traditionally a dessert wine, adds a touch of sweetness to the dry champagne, though this is not too sweet or heavy so would compliment some dark chocolate cupcakes with red wine buttercream quite nicely.

Admiral Nelson’s Blood
1 oz Ruby Port
1 dark sweet cherry (I used frozen. The original recipe from The Bombay Club called for Luxardo cherries, but I couldn’t find any and frozen cherries are easy to find, delicious, and have that deep red color we want.)
Extra Dry or Brut champagne

In a champagne glass (I used coupe glasses, and look how beautiful they were!) pour the ruby port and add the cherry. Fill to the top of the glass with champagne.

See how easy that is? You have no excuse not to make this beautiful cocktail. Though, you might not want to tell your significant other the story over your romantic dinner…

I’m generally not fond of February. I don’t love cold weather, and Oklahoma likes to use this month to start faking us out with beautiful 70 degree days before going full-on Elsa, only to repeat this cycle well into the next month. Despite the constant game of “Skimask or Sundress?”, February does have its perks.

February is Chocolate Season.

Ha! You thought I was going to say Valentine’s Day, didn’t you? Although we do have V-Day to thank for Chocolate Season, I could do without most of it. Especially those god-awful conversation hearts. I think I ate those until about 4th grade, when I realized that a much better way to get my crush’s attention was to just throw them at his head. (If you ask my husband, he will probably say I haven’t grown out of this.)

No, the best Valentine’s Day candy is obviously chocolate. And what goes best with chocolate? Wine.

Sorry, that was a trick question. Wine goes best with everything.

That being said, these are definitely grown-up cupcakes. Not only is there booze in here, but they lack the cloying sweetness that cupcakes so often fall victim to. They’re rich, gooey, and just the right amount of bitter. They’re the kind of cupcakes you’re going to have to eat with a fork. Though, I would recommend eating your Valentine’s Day cupcakes with a fork anyway, because it’s humanly impossible to look sexy while eating a cupcake with your hands.

You know what is sexy? These cupcakes. They’re also easy, and taste way fancier than they are. Even creating the recipe, I was able to get these done start to finish in less than two hours. I promise, it will take you less time. You might want to make the wine reduction as soon as the cupcakes go into the oven, then have that cooling while the cupcakes bake and cool down. The buttercream takes no time to throw together once the reduction is made.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the cocoa powder and coffee until smooth, then set aside.

2. Add eggs, sugar, vanilla, and butter to a large bowl, then mix until well-blended and fluffy.

3. Sift together the dry ingredients in a small bowl.

4. Working with 1/4 of each mixture at a time, slowly alternate adding the coffee/cocoa mix and the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Once all the ingredients are blended, fold in the chocolate chips. (Listen, I’m not going to tell you how many chocolate chips to add. We’re all adults. Valentine’s Day is about following your heart. So, if your heart tells you to add half a bag of dark chocolate chips, well, who am I to tell you otherwise?)

5. Spoon batter into pan (I highly recommend using baking cups for this – things can get gooey) and bake for 15-20 minutes.

1. In a small saucepan, heat granulated sugar and red wine, stirring constantly. Keep the mixture at a low boil until the wine begins to thicken and reduce, about 10 minutes. When there is about 1/2 cup of the mixture left, remove from heat and refrigerate to cool.

2. While the wine is cooling, mix together the powdered sugar and butter until fluffy.

3. Slowly pour the wine reduction into the buttercream, continually mixing at a low speed until fully incorporated.

4. When the cupcakes have cooled, ice them using your preferred method.

If we’re being honest, I think my there would be a lot of PB&J eaten for dinner during the week at my house were it not for the freezer. I try to always keep mine full to the brim, despite the constant danger of a Ziploc-full of frozen chili falling out and taking off a toe. I guess you could call me something of an adrenaline junkie.

if you, too, would like to live more dangerously, here are a few things you should keep in your soon-to-be feastworthy freezer:

1. Raw AND Precooked Chicken, Portioned
After several dinner parties ended with me saying “Wait, we spent how much?” I started counting costs and quite often, I made waaaaay too much food for the amount of people I was actually serving. One of the most expensive foods that I would overshoot is meat, especially chicken. I came up with a strategy to help keep my meat costs down and my kitchen running smoothly: buying chicken breasts and boneless skinless chicken thighs when they went on sale in the big value packs, and freezing half in 10-12 oz. portions (the amount two people at my house would usually eat) in Ziploc bags. The other half, I would precook in large batches, chop up, and freeze for use in salads for lunches, soups, etc. Having two-person portions simplified cooking for groups of people as I knew that if we were having four people, two bags of chicken would most likely be enough.

2. Frozen Veggies
Look, we all have been at that point. That dark, dark place where you are driving home from work and suddenly realize you have absolutely got to go to the grocery store but it sounds like something you totally don’t want to do right now. So you stop and grab a pizza, or Chinese, and immediately kick yourself because eating out out of desperation is usually never satisfying. On these nights, having a bag or two of frozen veggies can be a lifesaver – they can usually serve as inspiration for a skillet meal thrown together with what scraps you have left in the fridge or can be stir fried with pretty much any meat and served over rice for a bare bones night-before-grocery-shopping meal that at least (probably) won’t give you indigestion.

3. Frozen, Cooked Beans
In my pantry stocking article, I reference buying dry beans in bulk to save money. However, you just don’t get the convenience you do from canned beans (even if the canned beans come with all the sodium and that funny bean juice smell). Frozen beans are my answer to canned beans. Every time you make a batch of beans, make twice as much and freeze about one meal’s worth in several freezer bags. Lay these bags out flat on a cookie sheet and stick the cookie sheet in the freezer. The next morning, voila! You now have all the convenience of canned beans in a handy stackable format, but without the funny bean juice!

4. Frozen Tomato Paste/SauceHas anyone, in the course of making a normal-sized meal, used a whole can of tomato paste? I definitely haven’t. A great way to avoid having to store an awkward, tiny can of the stuff in your fridge until you realize you’ve forgotten about it entirely is to freeze your extra tomato paste (in tbsp sized portions) in ice cube trays. Pop ’em out of the tray and store them in freezer bags to take out as needed. You can also make large batches of homemade tomato sauce and store them the same way. Here’s a quick rundown of my favorite easy tomato sauce recipe:

So, now we’ve covered things you can do to stock your pantry, fridge, and freezer. Hopefully I’ve given you a few ideas and techniques to keep your kitchen ready for a feast at a moment’s notice. Have any upgrades for the techniques I’ve mentioned? Maybe a freezer recipe you’d like to share? Let me know in the comments!

If we’re being honest, this recipe comes from a place of deep and abiding laziness. One night while preparing to have company, I had every intention of coming home from work, cleaning the kitchen, and then prepping the most adorable little caprese salad skewers. You know, like on Pinterest?

Yeah, I didn’t.

You know what I did do? I made this recipe. And it was delicious. It uses the traditional “tomato + mozzarella + basil” formula but replaces the fresh basil with pesto and mixes it all up in a balsamic dressing. The tomatoes and cheese marinate in the balsamic + pesto dressing and when the tomato juice starts to be released, forms this incredible light dressing that works so well on the baby spinach.

This salad makes me miss summer, as I always imagine having it outside on the deck, sipping red wine (though if we’re being honest, there’s really no time or place where I’m not imagining sipping red wine) and enjoying this with a light summer vegetable pasta dish. It’s beautiful, refreshing, and makes a great first course for a dinner party. You can also add grilled chicken for an easy, healthy weeknight dinner!

For my first recipe post, I knew I wanted to do something completely me – something created from little pieces of my heart. (But not actual, literal pieces of my heart, because that’s gross.)

I decided to combine three of my great loves: coffee, tiramisu, and my main squeeze, the one and only Biscoff cookie. But this recipe also served another, darker purpose: when I take the leftovers to work, they will further my mission to infect the great state of Oklahoma with a love of all things Speculoo.

In Oklahoma there are no Trader Joe’s, and so the cookie butter phenomenon hasn’t quite caught on. Biscoff cookies are relegated to the sad bottom shelves of Wal-Mart Supercenters, where they remain – looking unloved and, in the words of a friend of mine, like “old people cookies.” I want to make one thing very clear: I will not stand for this.

I knew I wanted to really highlight how perfectly coffee and Biscoff go together, so my already nontraditional tiramisu got a little more out of the box with the addition of instant coffee granules to the cream mixture. Also, because I try to try to make things with accessible ingredients, I used cream cheese in the place of the traditional mascarpone.

Trust me, it’s still delicious. The crunchy cookies take on a soft, dreamy texture and the bitterness from the coffee and cocoa powder make this dessert rich, but not overwhelmingly sweet.

Whip up this dessert in less than twenty minutes with less than ten ingredients, many of which you probably already have in your pantry or fridge. I made it as part of a double-date night menu, but I think it would be a hit anywhere. Serve it to company, bring it to work, take it to your weekly game night, whatever – just spread the word, alright?

1. In a small mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream (I used a hand mixer, a stand mixer or even some pretty intense elbow grease would work) until stiff peaks form, then set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and coffee granules. Whip until creamy and no “grit” from the sugar remains.

3. Working a quarter at a time, use a spatula to gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.

4. In a square serving dish, (I would not use anything larger than 8×8 – you can use a bigger dish, but you would need to pick up a second package of cookies or make do with only a single layer of Biscoff) arrange the Biscoff cookies in a single layer across the bottom. Spoon the coffee over each cookie individually. Repeat this process with a second layer of Biscoff cookies – arranging them in the same pattern as the first, then spooning more coffee over each cookie.

5. Gently pour the cream cheese mixture over the top (but try not to drool). Spread the mixture to evenly cover the cookies.

6. Sprinkle the cocoa powder and coffee granules on top, maybe even crumble some leftover cookies and throw those on if you’re feeling daring.

7. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, but overnight is best. I understand if you wake up at 2 a.m. and absolutely need to taste test this – I found myself stumbling out of bed this morning and sneaking a few spoonfuls of the leftovers straight out of the fridge. I am working on assembling a support group.

8. Serve right out of the fridge with a cup of hot coffee and make everyone happy.

As near and dear as bulk bins are to my heart, dry goods are only part of the battle – you also have to have a well-stocked fridge and freezer if you want your kitchen to be as adaptable as you are. Knowing you have supplies on hand to make a lazy Monday night skillet meal or to feed a surprise crowd can make all the difference.

The Fridge1. Fresh Produce
I would suggest keeping 3-4 different vegetables in the crisper at all times, along with some onions. Vegetables are healthy and (with the right touch) can be delicious and versatile. I usually scour my grocery store produce section for whatever is on sale that week and then plan a few meals around that. Most vegetables will keep around a week or so if stored properly, so as long as you can make a weekly shopping trip you should always have one or two options around. An even better strategy is to focus on fresh produce that doesn’t freeze well. For example, I tend to buy things like spinach, zucchini, tomatoes, okra, and cucumbers fresh.

2. Butter
I know, I know – my love of butter is going to earn me an early grave, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take. If I am given a choice of cooking oil that’s not deep frying or high heat, I will almost always choose butter. Don’t even talk to me about the insanity of using VEGETABLE OIL to make waffles or cookies. I know I just spent an entire paragraph singing the praises of fresh veggies, but here’s some real talk: I used to be a crazy picky eater. I would not have gotten this far in my love affair with the veg had it not been for numerous sides of sauteed squash in butter or adding a pat of the sweet stuff to steamed broccoli over a hundred sad, cringey nights. Side note: I don’t do this anymore. Steamed broccoli is an abomination.

3. Minced Garlic (In A Jar)
Somewhere between the crushed sadness that is garlic powder and actually making an effort, there lies minced garlic in a jar. You can probably get enough of this stuff to last three months for less than $3, which in my opinion is a pretty sound investment given that you should really be adding garlic to, oh, PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING. Or maybe that’s just me.

4. Parmesan Cheese
While it’s definitely worth the investment to shell out for a block of the good stuff (especially with the rind, which can be added to pasta sauces or soups to add some seriously amazing flavor), but even a canister of the cheap stuff will do in a pinch. If you can’t tell, I have a big thing for roasted vegetables as side dishes, and I almost always add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top. Heck, I can’t think of many savory items not made better by parmesan cheese. Veggies, baked chicken, pork chops, bread, pasta, rice, popcorn, potatoes… Sorry, what was I saying?

5. Yogurt
One of my favorite breakfast foods, yogurt’s usefulness extends far beyond the crap (Get it, guys? Get it?) Jamie Lee Curtis tries to sell you. Nary a brunch is served at my house without a pretty parfait, and many Monday mornings begin with me shuffling into the kitchen and pouring some raspberries and vanilla on plain yogurt with my eyes still closed. I would recommend buying the giant tubs of plain yogurt and kicking the flavored habit, since that Boston Cream Pie Yoplait is mostly just sugar (and don’t act like you’re even a little surprised, buddy). Plain yogurt can be a healthier alternative to mayo in salad recipes, replace sour cream on tacos and baked potatoes, and can be made into a great marinade or dipping sauce.

And there you have it: You’re five items closer to having a pretty damn well-stocked kitchen. Next up in the series is my secret weapon for entertaining at the drop of a hat – an overflowing freezer.

Hello, internet! I started this blog as a way to document my adventures in the kitchen and the strategies I’ve learned to do so on a young married’s budget. The name, Feast All Week, comes from my personal belief that you don’t have to sacrifice beautiful, tasty food because you’re working with limited funds or time. In short, that anyone can (and sometimes, should!) feast all week.

To start out, I’m going to hit the most basic level – stocking the pantry. Although I include the most basic of all pantry staples – flour, because of its applications in nearly every aspect of cooking – I am going to bypass other staple baking ingredients such as sugar and baking powder. The items I do mention will be things that are useful on an everyday basis, are almost always incredibly cheap, and will make your kitchen feastworthy.

1. Flour
You would be amazed how often people (me included, sadly) run out of flour. I usually stock up in the bulk bin section of my favorite Sprouts grocery store and store my flour in a plastic cereal container like this one. This mostly serves to keep the super creepy flour bugs out, and sometimes makes it easier to pour or measure from. Flour is used as a base ingredient in almost every baking recipe, but is also great for breading (Feast Rule #1, anything and everything is better breaded and fried.) and in sauces. If you happen to find an awesome deal on flour, go ahead and stock up and store any extra in the freezer until you need it.

2. Yeast
No, I’m not going to tell you to always make your own bread. Though homemade bread is definitely superior in taste and ingredients, I personally almost always have a store-bought loaf in the house However, yeast can up your kitchen game like you would not believe. Having a big crowd over? You can easily get away with serving a big pot of stew aside some homemade bread. Date night? Make a homemade pizza together and spend the money you were going to give the delivery guy on sweet, sweet red wine. Want to really win over your co-workers? Three words: Homemade. Cinnamon. Rolls. Keep a jar of yeast on hand (I like Red Star Active Dry) to have a kitchen upgrade at a moment’s notice. If you don’t think you’ll use a whole jar, feel free to start with the packets or better yet, store your jar in the freezer.

3. Dry Beans
Truly magical, and I don’t mean like you sang in elementary school. We usually have a minimum of 3-4 types of beans in the house and they get used constantly. Again, hit up the bulk section in your local grocery store and stock up! I feel so classy having all different types of beans in glass canisters on my counter. Chickpeas are a great staple, and can be used for a weekday salad or kickass homemade hummus. Great Northern beans can be used for minestrone, pasta, and even baking. Black beans are a staple for any Mexican recipe. Kidney beans make up one half the classic Cajun duo of red beans and rice. Pinto beans are the main ingredient of one of my favorite meals, brown beans and cornbread. Lentils make a great base for an exotic (cheap) vegetarian (cheap) Indian dish that I have even served to company.Can you tell I really love beans?

4. Rice
White or brown, I don’t discriminate or demonize. Rice is a staple in some of my favorite casserole and skillet meal recipes. Not to mention, it’s a necessity for serving with Indian and Chinese food, which makes it a necessity for, oh, living. Some brave souls would even venture to say that rice can be made into a breakfast food, though I don’t know if that’s a journey I’m personally ready to take yet. I’m only recently coming around to rice as a dessert food, so maybe rice and I will take that next step in our relationship soon. It’s getting pretty serious.

5. Canned TomatoesListen, I know. Canned veggies are disgusting. It took years of therapy for me to be able to trust corn or peas again, but tomatoes… Tomatoes are the exception to the rule. Canned tomatoes are one of the handy-dandiest cheap kitchen staples there are. Whirl some diced tomatoes in a blender and simmer the heck out of ’em for an easy sauce, or start with crushed tomatoes and red wine for something truly breathtaking. Diced tomatoes and green chiles mix with black beans for a great Mexican side dish or with Velveeta (SIDE NOTE: I do not condone Velveeta, except for this express purpose) for Oklahoma queso. They can add substance and flavor to hundreds of quick and easy soup recipes. Just have them.

Those are my five pantry passions, all things that will send me scrambling to the grocery store if I see my supply running low. If you learn to love them, they will serve you just as well. Aside from the five big ones, I have a list of smaller, bit part pantry staples. These things aren’t quite necessities, but I try to keep them on hand as they can serve several useful purposes.

Oatmeal: The ultimate cheap and easy breakfast. I often bypass the traditional “hot slop” vibe and use it for homemade granola or protein bars.

Honey: For baking, biscuits, and hot toddies. Enough said.

Chicken base: Mix with water to substitute for chicken stock in soups and stews, and also to add a savory dimension to sauces.

Canned tuna/salmon: Both great to have on hand for a quick lunch salad protein or some bangin’ fish cakes.

Mrs. Dash/Your Favorite Salt-Free Seasoning Blend: Mrs. Dash and I have a good thing going. You want the real secret to cheap and easy eats? Take food. Add Mrs. Dash. Eat food, which is now delicious.

Now that you know my pantry secrets, I want to know yours. Did I miss a crucial ingredient to a great pantry? Do you have any new, amazing uses for the staples I have mentioned here? Let me know in the comments!